Rau v. Ball Bros. Glass Manufacturing Co.
Rau v. Ball Bros. Glass Manufacturing Co.
Opinion of the Court
This is an appeal from a judgment of the Grant Circuit Court rendered in an action by appellee against appellant to recover damages resulting from an alleged failure on the part of appellant to deliver to appellee certain personal property to be manufactured by appellant and delivered by a named date. There was a special verdict and the sufficiency of the complaint is questioned for the first time in this court. Even where a demurrer has been filed and overruled, a special verdict will cure a defective averment, but it will not cure a defect consisting of the. entire omission of a necessary averment. Jones v. Casler, 139 Ind. 382; Western Assurance Co. v. Koontz, 17 Ind. App. 54; Rhodes v. Hilligoss, 16 Ind. App. 478; Western Assurance Co. v. McCarty, 18 Ind. App. 449.
It is not claimed by appellant’s counsel that there is the omission of a necessary averment, but that it is not sufficiently averred that appellee performed all the conditions required by the contract. T'he pleading avers that all the conditions of the contract were fulfilled and although the averment may be defective, under the above rulings, it is sufficient.
The special verdict shows that between the 16th and 22nd day of April, 1891, appellant agreed in writing to sell and deliver on cars at Fairmonnt, Ind., 950 gross of standard quart fruit jars at $4.50 per gross, and 400 gross half-gallon jars at $6.35 per gross. The contract originally provided for the delivery on or before August 1, 1891. The jars were to be delivered upon written specifications by appellee, stating number and size. Specifications were not delivered to appellant for all said jars prior to August 1, 1891. No jars were due appellee under contract for which it had furnished specifications on September 16, 1891. There was not due appellee under the contract on Sep
If appellee is entitled to any damages, it must be by reason of the default of appellant to furnish jars after August 1st; for it is expressly found that no damage resulted by reason of the failure to deliver the jars by August 1st. The parties had the right to extend the time within which the contract should be filled, and this the verdict shows was done. The verdict shows not only that there was an agreement, to extend the time, but that both parties afterwards acted upon this agreement. The time was extended until the making of the first jars, in September. But, even then, appellant was only to furnish such jars for which appellee had given specifications. And the verdict expressly finds that when jars were made in September appellant furnished and shipped under the contract all jars forwhich specifications and directions had been given by appellee. And it further appears from the verdict that appellant at no time failed to furnish and deliver to appellee jars at such times and in
The original contract provided for the delivery of the goods by August 1st. The old contract remained in force after that date, except as to the time for the delivery of the goods. The respective duties of the parties under the contract, as extended, were not different from those under the contract before the extension. It still remained the duty of appellee to place specifications for jars when wanted, and it was the duty of appellant to furnish jars only upon specifications. The burden was upon appellee to show a failure on appellant’s part to comply with this contract as extended, and this the verdict fails to do. It appears appellant did furnish all goods for which specifications were given, and so far as the verdict goes appellant may have been ready to furnish all the remainder of the goods at any time under the contract as extended.
The formal conclusion of the verdict fixing the amount of the damages, is inconsistent with the finding that no damages were sustained by reason of the failure to deliver the goods by August 1, and it has been held that such a conclusion is not to be regarded as a finding, and cannot be considered by the court in determining whether the law on the facts found is with the plaintiff or defendant. See Helwig
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.